


The Puzzling Disappearance of Peter Quill

by Origamidragons



Series: Buzzfeed Unsolved: Fiction Edition [1]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Buzzfeed Unsolved True Crime, Gen, Humor, MCU Background Culture, POV Outsider, Social Media, YouTube, written in the format of an unsolved episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 12:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15315417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Origamidragons/pseuds/Origamidragons
Summary: “This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved we discuss the thirty-year-old mystery of the disappearance of Peter Quill.”





	The Puzzling Disappearance of Peter Quill

**Buzzfeed Unsolved - True Crime** S4 • E3  
_The Puzzling Disappearance of Peter Quill_

The episode opens with the sound of a police siren in the distance, a brief animation of a flickering lightbulb illuminating the name of the show: _Unsolved._

“This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved we discuss the thirty-year-old mystery of the disappearance of Peter Quill.” 

“I’ve heard about this one,” Shane broke in almost immediately, nodding along. 

“Yeah, the name will probably be familiar to a lot of you. This was a very publicized case. The search for him was huge,” Ryan agreed. “It went on for years. I’ll get into some of the reasons why this was such a captivating- and sad- story later.” 

“Alright!” Shane clapped. “Fire away.” 

“You sound… way too excited about this,” Ryan said, side-eyeing his co-host for a moment. “You realize a kid probably died, right?” 

“I’m curious! Curious to see what you’ve got! Like I said, I’ve heard about this one. What’s up with the _probably_ , though? Does that mean you think he’s still alive?” 

“Well- you’ll see.” Ryan cleared his throat. “Let’s start with some backstory.” 

The audio switched to Ryan’s narration over a series of shifting graphics. 

“Peter Quill was born in Saint Charles, Missouri, in October of 1980 to Meredith Quill. Meredith was a single mother, never married, and there aren’t any records of who Peter’s father might have been-” 

_mysterious_

_i mean, there are plenty of kids who, uh, grow up without dads for whatever reason_

_it just strikes me as a mite shady_

“In the absence of his father, Peter was raised by his mother and grandfather. A second grade classmate of his, Emmy Frost, mentioned in an interview with police that Peter used to tell his classmates that his father was David Hasselhoff.” 

_hahahahahahahaha_

_(wheeze)_

_did anyone, uh, anyone ever question the hoff about this? “excuse me sir, is this famous missing kid your son?”_

_for some reason i don’t think they did_

“Next is when this story takes a sad turn. Tragically, in 1987, when Peter was seven, Meredith was diagnosed with an inoperable, malignant brain tumor and given a maximum of six months to live.” 

_(softly) oh nooooo_

_yeah. it’s, it’s sad_

“She died the next February, in 1988. Her family was gathered in her hospital room, including her parents, who were to get custody of Peter after she died, and Peter. This was also the last time that Peter Quill would be seen alive. I’m now going to play part of the recorded testimony of Terrence Quill, Meredith’s father and Peter’s grandfather.” 

_’Meredith was really slipping, there at the end. Kept talking about Peter’s daddy, how he was an angel who was going to come back and get his son, lots of nonsense like that. Hurt my heart to see my baby girl that way, even after I’d made my peace that she was going to leave us. Peter, it hurt him even worse, I think. She had a present for him- Beth had to help her wrap it because her hands were shaking so bad by that point. Peter didn’t want to take it- she held out her hand and he wouldn’t take it. Then… well, she was gone.’_

_’Peter started crying, and ran out the doors. I started to go after him, but Beth told me to give him some space. Ain’t a day goes by I don’t wonder what would have been different if I’d shaken her off and followed him out there anyways.’_

“By the time Terrence Quill went looking for his grandson, he’d vanished. After an hour of looking, he and his wife called the cops to report Peter missing. That call would eventually lead to a nationwide manhunt that, despite the investigation lasting more than three years and the case file remaining open to this day, never managed to find the missing boy.” 

“Now that we’ve gone over the backstory, let’s take a look at the theories.” 

Ryan cleared this throat and shuffled the papers in front of him. 

“The first theory, which is the theory currently agreed upon by law enforcement and most widely accepted by the general public, is that Peter Quill was a victim of transient serial killer Jack Fowler, who was active from 1978 until 1990, when he was arrested in Washington. Fowler was in the Missouri area at the time of Peter’s disappearance, and had a history of targeting young boys and girls of the ages of ten and under.” 

_oh i hate this guy_

_he was murdered in prison if that makes you feel any better_

_you know what? it does, thanks ryan_

_you’re welcome_

“The FBI and local police both support this theory, and it’s worth noting that Fowler’s cellmate, James Dow, claimed that Fowler confessed to killing Peter Quill while in prison, though his words should be taken with a grain of salt.”

_whenever someone claims responsibility for a famous crime when they’re already in jail i’m- i’m instantly suspicious_

_yeahhhh_

_well, the fbi like it, the police like it, and it seems plausible_

_why don’t you think it’s true_

_well- i’m getting to that_

“However, what’s often overlooked is that there is almost no actual evidence connecting Fowler to the Quill case. What there is is circumstantial- that he was in the area and Quill fit into his typical victim range. But there’s no DNA evidence, no eyewitnesses, anything. It’s really a very weak case when you take a closer look at it, and that is exactly why Fowler was never charged with this particular crime before his death.”

“The second theory, which I personally think is a lot stronger because it gives us a set motive, is that Peter was kidnapped by his father. You may recall that his father was never in the picture when he was growing up. It’s also important to note that up until her final months, Meredith Quill would refuse to speak about him. It’s been theorized that their relationship and breakup was ugly, perhaps even abusive, which would explain Meredith’s complete erasure of him from both her and Peter’s lives.”

“Meredith was also recorded as insisting that Peter’s father was going to come back and get him. Investigators at the time largely dismissed this as ramblings brought on by her tumor, but some theorists since then have wondered if it was meant to be a warning. It’s possible that, following Meredith’s death, Peter’s father came to take the son that she had previously prevented him from seeing.”

_there have to be better ways to do that_

_to do what?_

_to see your kid! like there has got to be a better way than ‘wait for his mom to die’_

_i mean, they weren’t married, and paternity testing wasn’t as advanced then as it is now, it’s possible he couldn’t even prove the kid was his_

_and if he was abusive like some have theorized, Meredith could have gone for a restraining order against him if he made a move_

_that’s true_

“However, this theory meets with the same fatal flaw as the first, and that is that other than Meredith Quill’s deathbed claims, there is nothing actually connecting Peter’s unknown father to the scene of the crime. And- really, that’s the problem with the whole case, is the lack of evidence. By all appearances, Peter Quill disappeared into thin air. Which brings us to our third theory-”

_don’t say it_

“-that Peter Quill wasn’t murdered or kidnapped, but instead ran away.”

_oh! i thought you were going to say aliens!_

_this is better, okay, go on_

“After Peter’s mother died, his grandparents would have taken custody of him. Terrence Quill openly admitted that he and Peter disagreed on a number of things. It’s possible that, following the traumatic death of his mother, Peter decided he’d rather run away than have to live with his grandparents. This would explain the fact that no suspects were witnesses at the scene and no evidence of a struggle or getaway vehicle was ever found, but the problem with this theory is rather obvious. That being that it would be very implausible for an eight year old boy to completely evade the nationwide search for him while on his own with no help.” 

_imagine like a nine year old kid sitting on the beach in hawaii, sipping a pina colada, watching news reports of his own disappearance_

_how would he get a plane ticket?_

_i mean, kids are small_

_maybe he like, uh, tucked himself in somebody’s luggage_

_(wheeze)_

“The fourth theory is that Peter Quill’s disappearance was the result of an alien abduction.”

_you know what? fuck you_

_give it a chance, there’s actually some convincing evidence_

_no, this is bullshit_

“I’ve noted throughout this video that there was a distinct lack of evidence of any perpetrator. Or at least… any _human_ perpetrator. Isn’t it possible, then, that the abductor of Peter Quill could have been a being from beyond the stars?”

_no! it’s not!_

“An interesting piece of evidence to support this theory- during the initial search, investigators noticed a large patch of burned grass on the lawn outside of the hospital where Peter went missing. After a nurse testified to seeing a bright flash of light, police concluded that it had been probably been left by teenagers setting off fireworks, but it could have been made by, say, a spaceship engine firing.”

_you’ve lost your mind_

“Sadly, the lack of evidence or even a body to examine means it’s likely no conclusive answer will ever be reached in mystery of the tragic disappearance of Peter Quill. Was this a chance attack by a serial killer, an estranged father kidnapping his own son, or a crime from beyond the stars? The case remains… unsolved.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comment down below what fictional event/crime would make an excellently confusing mystery for the boys to talk about, because I want to write more of these. I'm definitely going to do one about Jason Todd.
> 
> Some notes:  
> \- Jack Fowler isn't a real person, but his name and some details were taken from Bobby Jack Fowler, who really was a transient serial killer active during the eighties  
> \- This whole fic is inspired by that one tweet about background culture in the MCU  
> \- Infinity War didn't happen kthxbai
> 
> Bonus:
> 
> "Wait," Peter Parker said, his mind stuttering. "What did you say your name was?" 
> 
> The curly-haired man blinked. "Peter Quill." 
> 
> "Holy _shit._ "


End file.
